I knew Rhododendron was a problem, but..

[Nice65]

Not to this extent:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27882358

Why has a non-native, invasive plant like this been allowed to grow and kill the native species for so long that it's become a dangerous impenetrable jungle?

Oh, must be the pretty flowers I suppose.

 

[tom.moran]

machete time

 

[addo]

If landowners nipped them in the bud early on there wouldn't be a problem, but many just watch it grow and grow doing nothing even when they have the money to sort it. I find it immensely frustrating.

 

[daveO]

Not to this extent:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-27882358

Why has a non-native, invasive plant like this been allowed to grow and kill the native species for so long that it's become a dangerous impenetrable jungle?

Oh, must be the pretty flowers I suppose.

Apparently it was native at one point in the UK. We just lack the right animals to help control it now which a shame.

 

[Dark Horse Dave]

Wasn't it brought over from some part of the Empire by the Victorians? For its ornamental looks presumably; then of course it spread.....

 

[ozzy1977]

I think there was a bit on countryfile last weekend about this

 

[Grooveski]

If landowners nipped them in the bud early on there wouldn't be a problem, but many just watch it grow and grow doing nothing even when they have the money to sort it. I find it immensely frustrating.

I once heard a comment along the lines of "We're saving them them for a rainy day - the grants get better every year.".

Not saying that's a common thought, just shows though the different attitudes some have.

 

[Macaroon]

It was never native here, AFAIK, it was brought from the Himalayas, Nepal in particular; and it's gone way, way beyond machetes in many parts of the British Isles. It's an extremely bad thing to have on the ground, kills absolutely everything beneath and around it thus creating a real monoculture. IIRC, there are a few members here who've had extensive experience of trying to clear it.

 

[Bowlander]

Lord Lucan is probably in there somewhere!

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Xparent Green Tapatalk 2

 

[Grooveski]

IIRC, there are a few members here who've had extensive experience of trying to clear it.

Here's a couple of rhodies bashing trips. Team of four the first time and three the second. About a fortnight each trip with one day off each time. Scott was back again recently for another week spraying the surviving stumps...

...and what we cleared was nothing. A trifling little patch when compared to the hundreds(thousands?) of acres overrun in Kintyre alone.

Cleared Scotty's land and so job well done but it's going to take more than the odd bunch of rhodie bashers to sort the problem out. The SNH have dedicated teams but they still need permission to go on the land so it's all down to the whim of the landowner and as has been said some don't seem to care.

There are a lot of hidden rhodies out there too. More and more often I'm seeing it in plantations where it's pretty much ignored until cropping time and rarely dealt with properly even then.

 

[Goatboy]

Aye it was never native, brought over as said partly as an ornamental but also as cover for game species. Really dislike the stuff, spent far to much of my days in the Forestry Commission trying to manage/eradicate the awful stuff, cut-burn-spray repeat ad infinitum. The larger branches do make a good fuel though. Used to take it home to burn in the wood fired cooker and stoves. Burns nice and hot with not much ash. Would gladly wipe it out in the UK, not very good for the bee population either seemingly.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

I've found a few spots of rhodies when out walking in Kent. Often wondered the legality of accidentally spilling some roundup on them...

Julia

 

[mrcharly]

I think you'd need a *lot* of roundup.

Ring-barking might be more effective.

 

[Quixoticgeek]

What about wild boar? they tend to dig up everything in sight?

Julia

 

[Qwerty]

What about wild boar? they tend to dig up everything in sight?

Julia

Heard of elephants would be more useful in the above location!

 

[Macaroon]

Wild boar won't go near it, it hasn't got any return for them; there's only the Rhodie there, a true monoculture, and it's very hard work (even for them!) for hardly any benefit. That's how it's got to be such a problem as it just eliminates all competition, animal or vegetable; Once left to get a foothold, it's impenetrable even by large mammals anyway as the folks in Ireland found out!

 

[Goatboy]

Hmm applying pesticides without the landowners permission is very likely to get you into a world of hurt as they say. Ring barking wouldn't cut the mustard either, the stuff is very vigorous and would send out shoots from lower down/the root stock. The stuff is so potent that stick that have floated in in salt water can take root. The leaves are so shiny that you need to use a surfactant with the herbicide or it'll roll off the leaves. On the pig front never tried it, the stuff is poisonous enough that we'd never risk putting valuable pigs in to try. Thee only ways we found were to use either a mechanical chain flail or chainsaws in conjunction with burning and multiple resprays of the returning growth. It's very labour intensive and costly.

 

[Grooveski]

Heard of elephants would be more useful in the above location!

Elephants would be just the job.

We had a go at training Ceira to howk seedlings but for all she liked sticks as much as the next dog she just looked at us like we were daft(not so far from the mark).

 

[demographic]

Masses of the stuff by Derwent water. Mingin stuff and totally takes over.

 

[boatman]

Kephart in Camping and Woodcraft recounts how someone trapped in similar circumstance in a laurel "jungle" escaped by "swimming" across the top of it. Wonder if rhododendron could be treated in the same way.